Nutrition

Prebiotics studied in almonds

The Institute of Food Research in the U.K. has researched the health benefits of almonds. Not only are almonds high in Vitamin E and work to reduce cholesterol, but the prebiotic properties of almonds can help improve our digestive health by increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth and/or activity of bacteria in the digestive system which are beneficial to the health of the body.
 

Our digestive system maintains large populations of bacteria that live in the colon. Prebiotics are non-digestible parts of foods that these bacteria can use to fuel their growth and activity. These “good” bacteria form our body’s defense against harmful bacteria and play a role in the development of the body’s immune system. So grab a handful everyday!

 
Read more:Almond Board of California; Medical News Today

How to preserve the nutritional value of almonds

With almonds being such a nutritional powerhouse you want to do what you can to preserve all those unique nutrients and antioxidants. Almonds kept in the following manner have some serious staying power. If kept under cold storage conditions (<40°F and <65% relative humidity), whole natural almonds can be stored for about two years with no significant loss in quality.

Check out these other quick tips to help ensure your supply always stays top-notch:

• Store under cool and dry conditions (<40°F and <65% relative humidity).

• Avoid exposure to strong odors as almonds can absorb odors of other materials if exposed for prolonged periods.

• Roasted products must be protected from oxygen. Storage containers, resealable plastic bags, and vacuum packaging are all good options.

• Protect from insects and pests.

Source: Almond Board of California

Coffee Each Day Keeps the Doctor Away

More than half of the adults in the U.S. drink coffee, according to the National Coffee Association. However, until recently, a few of us wondered whether it was negative or positive for our health.

Let's list out the positives:

1. When people find out they are at risk for developing disease, coffee can be one pleasure from which they don't need to deprive themselves. Coffee doesn't have any serious detrimental health effects. It can cause an inverse association with the risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver cancer and liver cirrhosis.

2. In a recent study with 50,000 participants, men with a high daily intake of regular or decaf coffee, who drank six or more cups a day, had an up to 60 percent lower risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancer. More research is needed to confirm these findings.

3. Coffee is thought to contain chemicals that lower blood sugar. Extensive research has been done on the relationship between coffee and Type 2 diabetes.  In a report from the University of Sydney in Australia it was stated that drinking four cups of coffee per day reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 25 to 35 percent.

4. In recent years, coffee has been shown to be safe for heart-attach survivors, and it may ward off cardiovascular disease. Scientists think antioxidants in coffee may reduce inflammation and protect blood vessel walls.

5. And last, but not least, coffee may not only make life more pleasurable, it may even extend it. Studies suggest that drinking coffee decreases the risk of premature death, especially in women. Women who drank at least five to seven cups a week had a death rate 26 percent lower than for non-consumers.

Here's the negative:

1. Although coffee drinking isn't harmful for most people, that may not be true for pregnant women. Research has linked miscarriage to caffeine consumption of 200 milligrams or more per day. A typical cup of coffee has 100-150 milligrams.

For more details on the research studies and sources above, see costco.com.

To find coffee at it's best price at your favorite store, click here.

When it comes to food allergies get your facts straight

A recent survey found that more than two-thirds of U.S. adults mistakenly believe that daily medicine can be taken to prevent a food allergy reaction, one of the key findings of the survey was a widespread lack of knowledge and awareness about food allergy among the general public.

The online survey of 2,148 adults also found that nearly half of respondents incorrectly believed that there is a cure for food allergy. More than 40 percent wrongly said that life-threatening allergic reactions could be prevented through means other than strict allergen avoidance, the researchers noted.

"The public's food allergy knowledge and awareness is critical to the safety of children with food allergy, especially since 76 percent of food allergy-related deaths follow consumption of foods outside of the home.

Read the rest of the article: U.S.News & World Report

Kids know healthy foods!

Despite not always eating what’s good for them, kids know healthy foods from those that aren’t considered healthy. A new report by foodservice consultant Technomic and kid-focused brand marketing agency C3 finds that nearly nine out of ten kids surveyed say that fresh vegetables and fresh whole fruits are healthy. Other foods named healthy by kids included salad (78 percent), steamed vegetables (76 percent) and eggs (72 percent). At least half said that fish, cheese, chicken and peanut butter are healthy as well.

The report was developed using data gathered in a May 2009 survey of 1,500 moms and 1,200 kids ages 6 to 12. Other interesting findings include:

• Salads are now among the leading entrée items on kids’ menus at the Top 250 full-service restaurants. They chiefly appeal to kids at the higher end of the kids’ menu age range.

• Older kids ages 10 to 12 have different meal preferences than smaller children. When given the opportunity to “build a meal,” older kids are far more likely than younger ones to choose steak, seafood and salads. Children age 9 and under prefer chicken fingers, pizza and French fries.

Aside from the growth of healthy side-item options, much of the development around healthier fare is in kids’ beverage selections and in increasing the number of items described as organic or natural.
Fast-casual and family-style restaurants overall were perceived by moms to be less kid-friendly than quick-service restaurants. In the quick-service segment, Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s rated excellent along most kid-related attributes. Fuddrucker’s was the only fast-casual brand to be considered kid-friendly by about half of moms (48 percent). Applebee’s was recognized as the most kid-friendly restaurant in the family-style format.
For moms, the key elements in the brand decision across all restaurant segments were consistent food quality, restaurant cleanliness, value and consistently good service.

Read more:
Kids & Moms Consumer Trend Report (Family Attitudes and Motivations in Foodservice) 

New grocery products containing antioxidants and polyphenols coming

Herbal extract supplier Sabinsa has received GRAS status for its curcumin antioxidant ingredient, an extract of turmeric roots. Turmeric has a long history of use in folk medicine for the treatment of wounds, infections, and other health problems. This opens the doors in the US for use in food and beverage applications, including baked goods, milk products, fats and oils, jams and jellies, gelatins and puddings, soups, snacks, candy, frozen dairy, imitation dairy, non-alcoholic beverages and seasonings and flavors.

Sabinsa’s branded Curcumin C3 Complex is an extract of turmeric roots standardized to 95 percent curcuminoids. These are phenolic compounds that are thought to provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, as well as support a healthy immune system. Recent studies have investigated its potential to lower cholesterol levels, improve cardiovascular health, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and diabetes as well as cancer-fighting properties.

Some studies

Over the last couple of years, curcumin has been linked to a range of health benefits, including potential protection against prostate cancer (Clinical Cancer Research, 2008:14 - using Sabinsa's Curcumin C3 Complex), Alzheimer’s (Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2006, Vol. 10, pp. 1-7; American Journal of Epidemiology, 2006, Vol. 164, pp. 898-906), protection against heart failure (Journal of Clinical Investigation, doi: 10.1172/JCI32865); diabetes (Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 2008, doi: 10.1002/mnfr.200700184); and arthritis (Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2006, Vol. 54, pp. 3452-3464).

Read more:
Curcumin
Turmeric

Green tea extracts linked to healthier bones

Compounds from green tea may lead to stronger bones by promoting bone formation, while also inhibiting bone resorption, which leads to weakening. The study looked at three tea compounds called epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin (GC), and gallocatechin gallate (GCG), and found that EGC produced the greatest bone boosting potential.

"Our study has provided the first laboratory evidence on the bone promotion effects of the green tea catechin EGC as was demonstrated by the promotion of osteoblastic differentiation and inhibition of osteoclast formation,” wrote researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong report their findings in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Weakness in the skeletal structure is currently second only to cardiovascular disease in terms of global healthcare burden, according to the World Health Organisation, affecting some 200 million people today but the number of sufferers is set to increase steadily with growing numbers of elderly living longer, and obesity adding extra strain on bones.

Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent.

The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin.

Read more:
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

I'm a "whole grain whiz". . .

. . . well at least according to the good folks at General Mills. They have a simple yet educational test on their website EatBetterAmerica.com that will help you understand whole grains and explain the importance of whole grains to your family.

I find that it is a lot easier to meet the dietary guidelines of the USDA's My Pyramid if I understand the various components of what used to me known as the Food Pyramid.  With all of the research going into nutrition now there is a surprising amount of mis-information amongst consumers. It's really no big surprise when you consider that most consumers recieve their nutritional information in the form of commercials between their favorite television programs. Marketers can be very clever in how they label and package their products.

So take a moment like I did to check out whole grains and understand what makes General Mills' line of whole grain cereals so good. If you hurry you can also print free online coupons here for a savings at your grocery store worth $.75 off which when applied to the sales going on in many supermarkets add up to a great savings.

What makes a grain whole?

A whole grain is “whole” if it contains all three parts of the grain kernel:
the bran, the endosperm and the germ. When whole grains are
processed, the bran and germ are often removed, along with all of
their nutrients and much of the fiber. Scientists believe that the fiber,
vitamins, minerals and other substances contained in whole grains
work together to provide maximum nutrition and health benefits

I use oatmeal to help meet my family's nutritional needs. So what makes oatmeal a great choice you ask?

Oats are good for the heart.
Oats help aid weight control.
Oats offer super-charged nutrition.

 Check our site for free grocery coupons on Quaker Oatmeal products.

Read more:
The Whole Grain

Quaker Oat recipe ideas

New statistics show impact of economy on hunger

Over 36 million Americans are forced to skip meals and survive without adequate nutrition. These numbers from a recently released USDA report do not adequately frame the situation for most of us. For those helping in thousands of food assistance centers across the USA it does not cover the growing numbers that are visiting their various agencies for food assistance.

While everyone has felt the impact of the current economic turmoil, this is the time of year when we take pause to appreciate what we do have. Please pause also to reflect on those whom really do need some assistance and donate to your local efforts through the in-store food drops or at a local food agency.

Find your local food agency at FeedingAmerica.org